Riddler6.7
New member
I knew I wasn't crazy in thinking the TRD pro I test drove had auto headlights. I was not too happy when my TEP finally showed up last night and it doesn't have the feature.
Automatic headlights
- Thread starter Rdfish1
- Start date
weeeee
New member
Toyota can't make everyone happy I guess. I'd take the heated mirrors over auto headlights any day.
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
I love auto headlights. I have seen to many people leave well lighted parking lots at night and forget to turn their headlights on forgetting it is night time. Eventually when others start flashing their lights at them they usually turn them on.
Riddler6.7
New member
To be fair, personally I really dont care one way or the other, however my wife is very forgetful and I would much rather have the feature for her sake.
C
Carolina Roscoe
Guest
Bimmer-Bob
New member
What some people don't seem to understand is that just because you have this feature, doesn't mean you have to use it. You can choose to turn the lights on and off manually, OR you can engage the Auto mode and let the car decide. In any case, the ability to override manually is always there. So , you actually CAN please everyone in this case (well, except Toyota's bean counters, I guess).
Also, if you've shopped around for new cars in the last 2 or 3 years, you would know that auro on/off headlights are becoming the de facto standard, and at price points lower than a base SR5 2WD. My 2012 Ford Focus SE, for which I paid $18K, had them standard. My 2014 SR5 4Runner Premium, for which I paid literally double, has them not even available as an option. Recall that, if you bought a Premium, you essentially paid for a bundled "premium package," that, IMO, should've included this feature (and, if you read my earlier post, likely was meant to).
Also, if you've shopped around for new cars in the last 2 or 3 years, you would know that auro on/off headlights are becoming the de facto standard, and at price points lower than a base SR5 2WD. My 2012 Ford Focus SE, for which I paid $18K, had them standard. My 2014 SR5 4Runner Premium, for which I paid literally double, has them not even available as an option. Recall that, if you bought a Premium, you essentially paid for a bundled "premium package," that, IMO, should've included this feature (and, if you read my earlier post, likely was meant to).
4fun-ar
New member
First FYI TRD Pro does have heated mirrors.
I would prefer to have auto lights to, regardless of me using them or not however not having auto lights is not a deal breaker to me.
My 2010 LE Camry had this feature standard and LE is the 2nd lowest package of Camry. However 2012 Corolla S doesn't have it!!! I think there is something wrong with these bean counters at Toyota
I would prefer to have auto lights to, regardless of me using them or not however not having auto lights is not a deal breaker to me.
My 2010 LE Camry had this feature standard and LE is the 2nd lowest package of Camry. However 2012 Corolla S doesn't have it!!! I think there is something wrong with these bean counters at Toyota
If it was a de facto standard feature, and the buying public was so entrenched in this feature, there would be a large voice being heard at Toyota dealerships about this. There would be a large voice online about this debacle of a missing feature. There would be a fairly significant decline in sales, since according to you people apparently see a $18k Ford Focus as a viable alternative to a $35k 4Runner.
The real world numbers show that the newest 4Runner is selling at a record pace (for 5th gen). This means that people either do not care at all about this very minor feature, or that it is so insignificant that the rest of the package makes the 4Runner a compelling purchase. Toyota has absolutely no reason to make any changes to the current option offerings, given their rise in sales figures. Toyota really only wants to make money. Dollars talk. Clearly they are making more money on 4Runner sales in order to provide no incentive to make any changes right now. In fact, given the disappearance of small/mid BOF SUV competitors, I'd be inclined to say that the 5th gen might even stick around an extra year or 2 before they debut the 6th gen. Toyota increased the life cycle of their Tacoma for similar reasons and only recently debuted the update due to the increase in the mid-size truck competition.
I would honestly question the driving ability of anyone that deems auto headlights are an absolute necessity. Should a person that can't remember to turn on headlights at night be driving? I see it as no different than a person that can't remember to stop at a red light.
blakjack23
New member
There wasn't a single person on here saying it is an absolute necessity. We are just saying its a nice luxury to have. And of course there is nobody who isn't going to buy a 4Runner because it doesn't have this, if the 4Runner is what they really want. BimmmerBob never said a focus was a viable alternative to a 4Runner. He simply stated a car half the price has it, why can't the 4runner? A car in this price range should have it. I LOVE mine. Lights go on when needed and off when not needed...its as simple as that. I don't NEED push button start or the ability to grab my handle and unlock the car either, but it sure is damn awesome!
They are obviously doing it the way they are to get people to buy the Limited. Meaing Toyota does know that people want this feature. And their plan is working. The auto headlights were one (a little one) of the reasons I chose to get a Limited this time.
They are obviously doing it the way they are to get people to buy the Limited. Meaing Toyota does know that people want this feature. And their plan is working. The auto headlights were one (a little one) of the reasons I chose to get a Limited this time.
Last edited:
Bimmer-Bob
New member
Okay, so reading comprehension isn't your forte, got it.
I said becoming the defacto standard, meaning it is something that is in the process of happening. And obviously it's not such a big feature that the "debacle" would set the internet on fire. You're clearly taking the argument to a ridiculous extreme to try and prove your point.
I did not at all list the Focus as a "viable alternative" to the 'Runner. My point was that even on a cheapo entry-level econo-box, this is a standard feature. I would've expected the same from a "Premium" trim level.
I also never said auto on/off headlights were "an absolute necessity" for me. I bought the truck, didn't I? I think they're something that's nice to have, whether that's okay with you or not, and I was disappointed that the truck did not come with the features that the sales materials claimed it would. By no means was it a deal-breaker, but it's a little irritating to be looking at the brochure and seeing what's included in the Premium package (again, the auto on/off lights were listed...), deciding to fork out the extra money for it, and then learning that somewhere between printing of the brochure and production the truck was decontented.
FWIW, I'm not saying it's a huge deal. It's a minor annoyance. But in 2014/15, I think a near-$40K vehicle ought to have auto headlights, and for the final time - Toyota's engineers thought the same thing! It was a last-minute change, as the trucks were for sale for several months before the website and brochures caught up to the reality of the feature's absence.
1engineer
Moderator
Question:
I know the "big three" have their own ideas on basic luxuries. Power windows, door locks, auto headlights, etc and pretty much all their vehicles have these.
Does anyone know what models of Honda or Toyota have auto headlights?
I know my wife's 2013 Honda CR-V EX-L has them. My daughter's 2012 CR-V EX does not. My son's 2014 Subaru Cross Trek does not and it is the top of the line model except it is not a hybrid. My 2015 4Runner SR5 P does not.
I know the "big three" have their own ideas on basic luxuries. Power windows, door locks, auto headlights, etc and pretty much all their vehicles have these.
Does anyone know what models of Honda or Toyota have auto headlights?
I know my wife's 2013 Honda CR-V EX-L has them. My daughter's 2012 CR-V EX does not. My son's 2014 Subaru Cross Trek does not and it is the top of the line model except it is not a hybrid. My 2015 4Runner SR5 P does not.
I understood exactly what you explicitly stated and what you implied.
At least you understand this. Kudos.
If the Ford Focus is not a viable alternative, why even bother mentioning it? Keep in mind that you were the one that listed a half-priced econobox in your "reasoning". Or maybe, it's possible that the doubling of the cost between your Focus and 4Runner has to do with something other than minor items like auto headlights. 4WD, BOF, made in Japan, non-Ford quality - just to name a few.
I'm just going to say that if I made a decision based on a particular factor or feature, I'd be damn sure to make sure it's there prior to forking over $35k.
Do you work for Toyota? I'm not sure how you can claim it was the engineers that thought it should come with standard auto headlights. Although I can see it might be possible for engineers to want this standardized to remove differing processes and procedures, with the intended effect to increase quality levels. It is just as probable that it was an arm more in line with customer service issues or marketing that would have wanted this feature as standard. There are also bean-counters that might have wanted this feature as standard to remove some of the differentiation in production processes as it may be more cost effective to make something standard than accounting for separate features, options, processing, etc. on the production line. This last remark is pure speculation on my part, but as someone with manufacturing experience, it is a way of cutting cost (to standardize and streamline, even with a constant added cost, rather than differentiating a production process to cut costs on some units).
Regardless, Toyota as a whole clearly does not think their 4Runner line should come with this feature as a standard. I believe their sales figures confirm they made the right choice (people are increasingly buying 4Runners). I don't think I've ever seen a true breakdown of the sales figures by trim level, but the vast majority on the road are SR5 models, indicating that most buyers are not stepping up to the Limited due to the travesty of non-inclusion of this one feature.
At the end of the day, it is minor as you said. If the lack of auto headlights is one of the biggest complaints you have on a $35k purchase, you're probably doing just fine with your decision. :thumb:
Jetboy
New member
FWIW, IMO it should have come with them. I was surprised to find that it didn't have auto headlights. I just assumed it would have them and was surprised later to find out it didn't. I actually searched the manual to see why my navigation wasn't dimming. It's a $10 option that every other car we've owned in the last 10 years has had. I bet every Hyundai has them. Of course all of our recent Acura and Lexus cars my wife drives have had them. My 01 GM 2500 work truck that's now 14 years old has auto headlights, our 03 Suburban z71 has them, and a '15 Premium 4runner doesn't? (I know there's inflation, but it's more expensive in nominal dollars than either of those GMs were new when I bought them.) It absolutely IS the defacto standard in cars over $30k if not all cars and most buyer do expect auto headlights.
Last edited:
Bimmer-Bob
New member
Are you seriously this dense? Did I say that I made my decision based solely on this particular factor? It was the entirety of the vehicle that I was considering and, in fact, I likely wouldn't have given this feature a second thought had it not been explicitly advertised as being part of the Premium package.
I have to question the maturity or mental state of someone who clicks on a thread about auto headlights just to beat their chests and declare their superiority for not caring about such a thing. It's oddly aggressive.
Speaking of dense..... :bash: I did not use the word "solely" at all. I said that if I made a decision based on a factor or feature, I'd make sure it was there. For example, if you absolutely required auto headlights, then you should have made sure they were there. If you would have liked them, but ultimately would not have changed your mind as it was a minor inconvenience (as seems to be the case for your particular scenario), then why bother complaining as you are? You made a choice to go ahead and buy it without the feature. You also made a conscious choice to go ahead and keep the car as-is, rather than try to truly fight Toyota for them to right a wrong (if you can call it that). Live with your decision. Move on.
Since you're so quick to jump on each point of mine, here's another. Why are you on such a crusade to get them to change this? They're HEADLIGHTS!!!! If it's dark, turn them on. If it's not dark, you can leave them off. :zoom:
cbreze
Member
This thread has been very "illuminating" to say the least. In my 45 years of owning, renting and driving various models I've yet to come across this feature. Thank god. Used to be we had to stretch our arm all the way to the dash to pull out that knob for the lights , then they put it on the tree to just twist. Now we don't even have to do that? Maybe that google car can't come soon enough for some of you.
Next, Maybe we could start a thread about why we don't have the auto wipers that come on when water on the windshield is sensed. :boom:
Next, Maybe we could start a thread about why we don't have the auto wipers that come on when water on the windshield is sensed. :boom:
Bimmer-Bob
New member
I was simply commiserating with the OP that I find it odd that in 2014/13, a $40K "Premium" vehicle nixed this feature. In the 1st month of ownership (NOV '13) I reached out to Toyota about the discrepancy between their marketing materials and their actual product. Since then, I have taken no action...so explain to me how that qualifies as a crusade?
Every argument you make is peppered with hyperbole to the point of being ridiculous. I still can't grasp why you would even click on this thread - do you get off on disagreeing with strangers or something? I'm not going to engage you any further, as I think I've fed your negative-attention-seeking behavior quite enough already.
Now, where's that ignore button...
